Touch Without Feeling
by J-Pop Princess
Summary: Everyone has a breaking point, and a darkness in them that may seldom be seen but when Ino refuses to back down she is confronted with a familiar man who has suddenly become a stranger and who is intent on making her see error of her ways. ShikaIno lemon


Hello everyone. The following plot bunny has been a long time in coming and I finally got it out of my head and onto "paper". What follows is not a typical interaction at all but I still consider it to be an erotic experience, after all, that's all I write about

Thanks to my beautiful beta for correcting my atrocious spelling and for letting me bounce ideas off her. She's such a good sport.

I don't own Naruto and it's character, nor is this fic appropriate for minors. (Insert any other necessary disclaimers here.)

Touch Without Feeling

Nara Shikamaru was a smart man. In fact, he was considered a genius by many and had been the first out of all of the Rookie Nine to make chuunin. He was known through out Konoha and most of Fire Country for having superior tactical skills and when it came to battle strategies, few could best him.

That's why Shikamaru was especially agitated by the fact that women were still a complete mystery to him, especially a particular aqua eyed loudmouth with long blonde hair and a voice like nails on a chalkboard. Even after all the years he had endured as her teammate, he still was no closer to figuring out what made her tick, or more importantly how to shut her up. Her sudden and often violent mood changes were the only variable in his otherwise perfect plans and he grew weary of the way she nagged him like a harpy constantly. If picking a fight with her weren't so much trouble, he imagined they would be at each other's throats all the time, but getting worked up over her silly antics seemed like far more trouble than it was worth. Up until now her bitching had been bearable, but that was before they had been assigned to their current mission…just the two of them.

Between Asuma and Chouji, there was usually enough testosterone around to ease the load of Ino's rants. Her badgering had been, for the most part, equally distributed among the three of them, but the Godaime had taken it upon herself to torture his very soul and had assigned only half of the members of Team Ten to the current reconnaissance mission while the other two were rewarded with some time off.

"Lucky bastards," he muttered under his breath, stretching out on the bed that couldn't have been bigger than a twin as he stared up at the ceiling, wishing there was something more interesting to look at than a ceiling stained with water spots.

Their assignment was easy enough. They were supposed to infiltrate some uppity social event and glean information off some high ranking officials. Shikamaru's shadows could sneak into hard to reach places, becoming an extension of himself and letting him listen in on information that otherwise would go unheard, and Ino had become quite adept at loosening men's tongues with playful banter and the batting of her eyelashes. While the ponytailed ninja found such acts to be annoying, other men seemed to trip over themselves in their enthusiasm to please her. He supposed it was because her face was pretty enough, but if they ever grew to know her like he did, they would no doubt be running for the hills the moment she walked into the room.

It was unbelievable how much trouble a single woman could bring, and Shikamaru was convinced of that fact all the more with every passing moment he was forced to spend holed up in a small hotel room with her.

This was their first mission alone together and it was obvious she was every bit unhappy about it as he was, but it couldn't be helped, Asuma was a little too old to fit the profile of the people whose identities they were stealing and Chouji hardly looked debonair in a tuxedo. Shikamaru cringed at the thought of having to squeeze into such hot and uncomfortable restrictive clothing but it couldn't be helped. When he had sighed in annoyance as Tsunade presented him with the outfit he was to wear, Ino declared that he clearly had nothing to complain about compared to her, for she had been issued a strapless dress that had to be worn with a corset and a pair of matching high heels. Even though she pretended to be put out by having to wear such impractical things, Shikamaru knew she was secretly thrilled. She was always griping about how kunoichi never got the chance to dress up and now here was the perfect opportunity, although he didn't see what the big deal was. He had seen girls in fancy dresses and ridiculous heels before but it had never had much of an effect on him. No matter what they came packaged in, women were still troublesome.

But this one was in a category of her own and seemed to delight in making him miserable. For starters, the hot summer weather made traveling more tedious than usual and Ino had insisted they stop and soak in the coolness of the river on the way to this very inn. Since they were ahead of schedule and stopping presented him with the opportunity to cloud gaze a little while, Shikamaru had consented, leaving Ino to splash around in an alcove secluded by a large willow tree while he watched puffs of white trail aimlessly across the sky.

However, he hadn't expected her to come trotting up next to him in nothing but her bindings and the black bikini cut panties she wore under her fishnet shorts. She had stood over him, dripping cold water on him and he couldn't help but take in the sight of her. Hell, she was blocking his entire view of the sky for crying out loud. And yet, as annoyed as he was, he couldn't help but notice the generous swell of her breasts against the white linen strips over her chest as well as the plane of her flat stomach and the curve of her hips. His memory recalled her lacking womanly curves but somewhere along the line she had matured and filled out, her body changed from that of a girl's to a woman's. When the hell had _that_ happened? And why was he noticing every detail down to the glinting of the sun on her hair to the tightened nipples poking out against damp fabric? Women were women, attractive body or no and it shouldn't surprise him that she had a nice figure. She _was_ a kunoichi after all and staying fit was part of the job.

Even so, Shikamaru found he had a hard time tearing his gaze away from her scantily clad chest because he swore that when the sun hit the wet cloth of her bindings just right, they were slightly see-through.

Ino had noticed his wandering eyes immediately and had kicked him in the ribs with enough force to bruise.

"_Shika, you pervert!_" she had yelled, the vein in her forehead swelling and her fist raised to administer another beating.

Shikamaru had spent an unusual amount of energy trying to defend himself. It wasn't like he had been _trying_ to look. How could he help it when she obscured his field of vision with her mostly naked and dripping wet body.

"_If you don't want people staring, than put some clothes on,_" he had sighed, pretending to be unaffected by what he had seen as he dodged a fist intended for his face.

"_I didn't think I had anything to worry about,_" Ino had sneered. "_You're practically asexual anyways._"

Despite her apparent request to have him keep his eyes to himself, she made no move to put on more clothing, stretching out next to him on the grass and letting the sun evaporate away the cool droplets on her body. The shinobi managed to refrain from looking at her again, even though he knew her young and nubile body was right next to him with little to hide it from his eyes. She had always been a flirt and somewhat of a tease towards men but she had never really exhibited that sort of behavior towards _him_. He had always assumed she knew better after he had made it painfully obvious he was not the slightest bit interested in her. However, if he hadn't know any better, he would have guessed that she was now focusing her attention on him without anyone else around to pester, teasing him with glimpses of her body and then getting angry when he actually bothered to look, and on top of it all, she had called him 'asexual'.

Shikamaru supposed that was the self image he had projected ever since he broke up with Temari. Women were an unnecessary bother and he wanted to avoid them if at all possible. However, her words had wormed their way under his skin like a splinter that continued to bother him long after she was dressed and they were back on the road again. Was it simply because she had directly attacked his male pride that had him so annoyed? He wasn't sure, but he was frustrated with himself for letting her petty words get to him in the first place. He tried to brush her off, something he had grown increasingly good at over the years they had been on the same team, but for some reason, he couldn't shake the words from of his head nor the feeling in his gut every time he remembered them nor could he rid himself of the image of her hovering over him after a frolic in the lake, golden hair shining in the sun and her eyes only slightly greener than the vibrant blue sky. Maybe that's the part that had him the most uncomfortable. Although he didn't mind looking at attractive women, Ino was definitely not fit to be in that category and for that moment, he had been viewing her like she was.

The shinobi sighed again, coming out of his thoughts and back to the small hotel room and smaller bed. The sooner this mission was over the better, because then he could go back to Konoha and have his head examined for he was clearly going out of his mind.

"Hey Shikamaru!" a shrill voice called from the other room.

The shinobi shut his eyes in frustration, willing her to go away. They had only just arrived here a little while ago after three days of traveling on foot and he was more than ready to rest a little but she seemed determined to destroy any peace of mind he could possibly have.

He decided it was going to be increasingly difficult sharing the small bed with her tonight. Although they were supposed to be a recently married pair of successful entrepreneurs, Tsunade had apparently seen it fit to cut costs on lodging to make up for what had been spent on their disguises. He would sooner sleep on the roof than next to her at this rate.

When he felt her presence along side the bed through closed eyelids he muttered a non committal "hmph" to acknowledge her.

"Shikamaru," she said, plopping onto the mattress with none of the grace and poise she should have possessed as a kunoichi. "What do you want to do? We've been here a while and it's boring in here. Don't you want to go out and see the city?"

"No," he answered simply, not even bothering to open his eyes and look at her.

By his calculations, they hadn't even checked in an hour ago and he was in no mood to sightsee. If the town happened to have a grassy hill somewhere with a clear view of a cloud filled sky he was all for going out and basking in the sun, however, he knew that wasn't what Ino had in mind, and Shikamaru didn't think he could stand being dragged into one clothing store after another. If she wanted a shopping partner, she should get herself a boyfriend, although he couldn't think of anyone desperate or stupid enough to date such an obnoxious woman.

"Aww, come _on_, Shikamaru," she whined in an annoying register that would have made him cringe if he hadn't already become immune long ago. "We've never been here before and it looks like there were lots of neat shops and stuff on the way to the hotel. Don't you even want to go check it out for a little bit?"

"No," Shikamaru repeated, rolling over so he was facing away from her.

He could hear her huff in frustration and imagined she was probably rolling her eyes like she always did when he did something that aggravated her, which was often.

"You so damn _lazy_," she sighed, walking across the room to shuffle through her travel pack. "No wonder Temari dumped your ass. You never want to go do anything!"

The shinobi growled inwardly at her low blow. She knew that topic struck a nerve with him but that only seemed to make her bring up more often. In reality, it has been a mutual decision to end their short and somewhat uneventful relationship. The fact that they were both active ninja for separate villages meant they saw each other next to never, and deep down, Shikamaru had concluded that though the Kazekage's sister was probably as low-maintenance of a woman he could ever hope to find, she was still in fact a woman and still troublesome. He had no idea how his father managed to fill the role of shinobi and husband. If he wasn't fighting a battle for Konoha, then he was waging war at home, although Shikamaru had noticed that his mother always seemed to win. It seemed a lot less painful just to let her get her way.

Unfortunately, simply giving in to Ino didn't seem to satisfy her. She was a master when it came to finding something to complain about and even though it had been over seven years since they were first assigned to the same team upon graduating from the academy, she was still as whiney as always.

When Shikamaru didn't respond to her first taunt, she decided to needle him a little harder.

"She was the first and only girlfriend you've ever had huh, Shika? With a crappy attitude like yours, you're probably doomed to be single the rest of your life."

The shinobi on the bed let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"That would be a dream come true," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else but Ino was still able to overhear it.

Ino let out a long-suffering sigh as she pulled what she had been looking for out of her pack beneath all the spare kunai and dried provisions that had made up their meals for the past three days.

"Well since you're _obviously_ not doing anything else important, help me try on this dress. With the ties in the back, I can't put it on by myself."

It was Shikamaru's turn to sigh in exasperation.

"Didn't you try on that thing before we left Konoha? There's no need to put it on until tomorrow night when we infiltrate the party."

Ino rolled her eyes as she straightened. It was so obvious Shikamaru knew nothing about women or fashions

"I tried it on and they had to make some alterations. I want to put it on again to make sure it fits right. Just help me ok? It will only take a minute."

Her voice held the edge that Shikamaru had come to know all too well. It meant if Ino didn't get her way, someone was going to be getting a beating in the very near future and since there wasn't anyone else around, he was certain to receive her wrath full force.

He had been considering just telling her to take care of it by herself but as lazy as he was, he knew the ensuing fist that would be aimed at his head was better off avoided and he grudgingly rolled over to face her, muttering under his breath about women and their ridiculous fascination with clothes and how troublesome all of it was.

If Ino heard him, she ignored it and simply smiled ay him sweetly as if she hadn't been on the verge of beating him to a pulp.

With a toss of her long blonde hair, she turned around and started to strip out of the purple ninja garb she had worn as long as Shikamaru had known her. Unfortunately, the ponytailed man was a little unprepared for the expanse of bare skin that was suddenly visible to him.

"Uh, Ino…what are you doing?" he asked with a lift of a thin eyebrow as she unbuttoned and discarded her wrap-around skirt and began to undo the buttons on her skimpy purple top.

The blonde kunoichi shot him a bland look that made it clear she thought he was a complete idiot as she stripped off her shirt, leaving her only in her bindings, fishnet shorts, matching arm and leg bands and tiny black briefs that were just big enough to cover the essentials.

"I can't just try this dress on over what I'm wearing Shikamaru," she said, unfolding the wad of pale turquoise material bunched in her hands. "Girls actually do something called 'changing clothes' instead of wearing the same ones until they reek."

The shinobi frowned at her words. Well of _course_ she was changing, he wasn't blind after all. He had just assumed she might have the decency to do it in the bathroom away from his eyes, but then again this _was _Ino they were talking about and modesty had never been one of her strengths.

However, he couldn't help but be drawn to the sight of that smooth pale flesh, especially that of her rear beneath the crisscrossing threads of her fishnet shorts. Ino loved being the center of attention but she usually reacted violently whenever men openly ogled her, at least the ones she didn't _want_ looking, and he wondered why she would allow herself to be seen such a state of undress without any apparent concern.

But that's when the words she had spoken at the river came back to him.

"_I didn't think I had anything to worry about. You're practically asexual anyways_."

Shikamaru had never been one to dwell much on what other people thought of him. That kind of thinking took too much brainpower. Yet, for some reason, revisiting Ino's words ignited a spark of anger in him that was uncharacteristic of the young ninja. Did she think of him as less than a man? One that took no interest in women at all? Just because he found the dispositions of all women disagreeable didn't mean he was adverse to sex or even simply looking at a naked body, particularly not a lean and firm one…even if it was Ino's.

Somehow, he had the feeling that if she thought she could manage to ignite even the slightest twinge of desire in him with the sight of her womanly form, she would have changed in the bathroom without a second thought. But on the other hand, maybe she knew exactly what she was doing and simply wanted to tease him, letting him look but never touch. The thought made him even more aggravated even if he knew that in reality, he'd probably never want to actually touch her anyways.

She somehow managed to maneuver the dress over her head and fidgeted with it until the strapless top was positioned over her breasts correctly. What she did next was truly a mystery to Shikamaru and he swore it was either a secret jutsu or simply a magical ability possessed by women but she managed to reach inside the confining top of the dress and pull out the tail end of her binding, proceeding to unwrap it from around herself until she was completely free of the linen strips without ever baring her chest to him.

Apparently the furrow of his brow gave away his confusion and awe to his team mate for she giggled as he eyes the binding now dangling from her hands.

"It's a girl thing," she said, confirming that all women indeed seemed to be capable of many things Shikamaru would probably never understand.

With a smile, she turned around and presented her back to him, displaying her bare skin crisscrossed with dark teal ribbon that zigzagged through metal eyelets on either side of the gap in the corset.

"Lace me up," she said, speaking it as more of an order than a request. How like the self centered little snob.

Shikamaru sighed, keeping his grumbling thoughts inside his head instead of voicing them and risking getting mauled as he faced the complicated working of ribbon in front of him. He may be a genius but they had never discussed corsets anywhere in his ninja training.

Taking a guess, he started at the top, tightening the ribbon until the two halves of the pale and satiny material almost came together.

"Lace it tighter," Ino said, placing a hand over her chest to keep the garment in place.

"Tighter?" he said skeptically. "You won't be able to breathe."

"You're not supposed to be able to breathe in these kinds of dresses," Ino sighed dramatically as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and informing him of the facts was painfully tedious.

Once again, Shikamaru was stumped by the mysterious ways of women but didn't question her, instead following her directions and cinching the garment even tighter around her petite form. He was sure she would start gasping for air by the time he reached the small of her back where corset ended but she made no sign that she was even the slightest bit uncomfortable. Tying the ends of the ribbon in a tight bow, he let himself peek at the complete picture from the back, noting how slender her waist now looked and that the flowing folds of turquoise that started where the corset ended were actually quite pretty the way they cascaded over her muscled legs.

Sensing he was done, Ino turned around, smoothing her hands down her waist to get a feel for her new, trimmer figure.

She had looked good from the back, but from the front, Shikamaru felt a strange tightness in his chest…as well as his pants. As he recalled from the incident at the river, Ino had been gifted when it came to cup sizes, but with that dress, she had more than a generous amount of cleavage that was practically spilling out of her top. Her bosom was only highlighted by her narrow waist encased in the pale turquoise material that seemed to bring out her eyes as well…that is, if anyone ever managed to notice by getting their eyes off her chest.

The front had more of the shimmery material that cascaded down from her hips, like flowing water, making her look ethereal and otherworldly.

Damn, if her objective was to blend in at the upcoming ball, she had already failed because he was sure every head in the room would turn when she walked by.

"So, what do you think?" Ino asked in a tone that made it obvious she was hoping for a compliment. She twirled around once, causing the silky material to fan out into a flower of turquoise.

She piled her blonde ponytail on top of her head, sweeping the long bangs on the right side of her face out of her eyes. "I'm thinking of wearing my hair up. It suits the dress better."

Shikamaru's gaze immediately went to the tender flesh of her neck and wondered for a moment how it would feel to press his lips to her and perhaps nibble softly, but then he pushed the thought from his mind as quickly as it had come.

"It fits better than it did before, but how does it look?" Ino asked, giving an experimental wiggle and seemed to be interested in how her top cupped her breast and lifted them up and out.

Frankly, Shikamaru thought she looked good enough to eat and was just as interested in the way her tits looked as she was, but he certainly wasn't about to tell her so considering he was slightly repulsed by his own reaction to such an annoying, overbearing loudmouth.

"Eh, it's an improvement," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest and pretending to be completely unimpressed.

"Improvement?" she said, her eyes narrowing dangerously when she didn't receive the praise she had hoped for. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" 

"It means you're not so hard to look at now," Shikamaru said with a shrug, hoping his feigned indifference would be enough to hide the fact that he thought she was actually quite easy on the eyes in that outfit.

Ino tried not to let him know that she was slightly hurt by his words. She had felt so pretty when she had tried it back on in Konoha, like a fairy princess. But she should have known better than to expect anything from Shikamaru. He was an idiot who didn't know the first thing about women, who didn't even _like_ women! She thought maybe she had been wrong in her assessment after he had openly stared at her breasts after her bath in the river but he was still the lazy, good for nothing, asexual jerk she had thought he was and even giving him generous glimpses of her body had proved futile.

It wasn't like she ever would have let him touch her if he _had _shown interest, but deep down she had wanted the satisfaction of knowing she could get a rise out of even someone like Shikamaru, who seemed immune to any type of arousal or sexual desire.

She focused her hurt into anger because it was easier to be pissed than vulnerable and glared at her clueless partner, her aqua eyes flashing dangerously.

"All right, _fine_," she spat, turning her back to him. "The dress fits fine and that's all that I needed to check. Loosen the back so I can take a shower so you won't be forced to look at me any longer."

Shikamaru may have been mystified by women, but that didn't mean he wasn't perceptive. Her sudden desire to escape into the bathroom where he couldn't follow was proof that she was upset, especially since she hadn't previously mentioned taking a shower even once upon arriving. He supposed he should be grateful she was choosing to retreat instead of attempting to punch him through the wall. Even if she didn't have the killer strength of her pink haired best friend, her right hooks were still a force to be reckoned with.

Undoing the back proved to be a lot easier then lacing it up and he had the ribbon loosened in a matter of seconds and Ino clutched the top to her chest to prevent it from slipping and exposing her ample bosom, an ironic move considering she had been showing it off only seconds before.

Without a word, she stomped off to the postage stamp sized bathroom and closed the door behind her a little too firmly. Soon after the sound of running water could be heard and Shikamaru let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

He hadn't intentionally meant to be cruel or to hurt her feelings but he had always been that way with Ino, especially when her head got big and she needed to be knocked down a few pegs. He had never been one for flattery and she should have known that by now, and even though she _had _looked rather nice in that wispy turquoise thing, he wasn't going to boost her already large ego and tell her so. She was annoying enough as it was.

However, he knew that wasn't the only reason he was slightly on edge. The fact that he had been to drawn to her, even if in a purely physical sense, was disconcerting. If she was just some random woman with a fabulous body, it might have been ok, but for him to be clearly enticed by Ino of all people was downright troubling. He had known her since they were _kids_, the fact that their parents and Choiji's were close friends as well ensured that they saw plenty of each other while they were still in diapers. She was the obnoxious kid sister he had never wanted but had gotten anyways, so why the hell was he staring at her tits and imagining just what they would feel like nestled in his large hands?

Shikamaru closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He was a rational person, he would figure this out, and when he did, he would fix whatever the hell was wrong with him and was causing him to give a damn what she thought about him and his love life and his capabilities as a romantic lover.

Ino let her forehead rest against the cool shower tiles water almost hot enough to burn rained down on her. What the hell was so hard about him saying she looked good in the dress? Hell, even if he had said she looked ok she still would have taken it as a compliment considering its source. But for him to say she looked slightly less ugly? That was simply going too far!

She wanted to punch the ceramic tile but had a feeling she would leave a rather nasty dent so settled for growling softly to herself, the sound was lost of the roar of water around her. She supposed she shouldn't let it get to her. It _was_ just Shikamaru after all and he was a lazy and insensitive pig and at the moment, she was pondering whether he really even liked women at all. Perhaps his preference was men, which in all honesty, would have made her feel a great deal better for not being able to capture the attention and praise of her team mate with a peek at her body but she had a feeling that wasn't the case.

She had seen the way he was looking at her, both on the hill by the river and moments ago in their room. He found her overly developed curves interesting but he would never say so. Chances are he viewed her as a sister and while it was ultimately better that way, she couldn't help but be a little disheartened. She didn't exactly want his love or affection, but she wanted to be the epitome and beauty and sexual allure, grabbing the attention of any man no matter who they were.

She had wanted to feel pretty in that dress. She had wanted Shikamaru to make her feel like the sexy woman she wanted to be and he had let her down. She sighed and pushed off the wall, turning to let the hot droplets rain down on her face. He wasn't intelligent when it came to women the way he was in other subjects and he didn't care enough to learn. She would just have to accept that. At least she only had to spend a few more days with the prick until this mission was over and then she could get away from him for a while. Although they made a decent team, she had had more than enough of Shikamaru to last her a while.

Shikamaru was staring out the window of their room when he heard the water stop running in the bathroom. He was still staring at the clouds outside when the door opened a few minutes later. He let his eyes slide to the side and saw that she was wrapped only in a towel and a tiny towel at that which barely pulled together over her impressive bosom in the front. Even now she was flaunting her body in front of him and he was starting to get sick of the way she was teasing him.

"Is wearing clothes really that difficult for you?" he sighed in annoyance, shifting his eyes back to the blue sky and white clouds outside.

Ino hadn't intended to come out in a towel at all actually but in her haste to get away from him, she had forgotten to bring another set of clothes into the shower with her and she didn't feel like squirming back into that dress just to come out and grab something else to wear. However, instead of telling him so, her sharp tongue took over with a cutting remark.

"Not that you mind," she sneered as she breezed past him, her long blonde hair still wet and hanging around her instead of being tied back in its usual ponytail. "You probably haven't seen much of the female body since Temari dumped you."

Shikamaru should have been expecting something like that from her. He continued to stare out the window as he responded.

"Trust me, if something _worth _looking at comes by, I'll make sure to take a good, long glance."

He smiled quietly to himself when he heard Ino huff behind him. It appeared she was the one who had taken the blow in their little game of snide remarks. However, it wasn't over yet.

"Oh really?" she said, momentarily forgetting about her search for clothes and stopping to face him a few feet away. "For someone who claims I'm so unappealing, I sure catch you eyeing my boobs a lot. Is that because you really don't think they are so bad, or are you trying to keep up appearances of actually liking women when maybe your tastes are in men?"

Ok, had she really just said that? The immaturity of such a statement was unbelievable. He finally turned around to face her, an amused smirk on his lips and his arms crossed lazily over his chest as he leaned against the windowsill.

"Sorry to ruin your little theory Ino but I'm not gay, although I know you'd love it to be true so you could spread it all over town with that big, fat, gossiping mouth of yours."

Ino could feel a vain start to throb in forehead. Like Chouji, she was quite sensitive to the "F word" and nobody called her fat and got away with it, even if they were just talking about her mouth.

"Well then maybe you stare because you know you'll probably never get to see a naked woman again after Temari. She told me what a horrible lover you are and she's probably told all of Suna by now."

Ino was bluffing of course. She had no idea what kind of relations the two had had together but she could tell by the way his slouching posture instantly straightened that she had struck a nerve and she smirked cruelly. She _would_ win this battle.

"What's the matter Shika? Didn't you know? She said you were horrible, that you were lazy and boring and didn't even act like you were trying. I guess we can't all be great in bed. Maybe you _should_ consider liking men after all."

Shikamaru's face had visibly darkened. He wasn't sure if Ino was telling the truth or not but either way, it didn't matter. For her to have the _balls_ to come out and say something like that to him was inexcusable. He had indeed slept with Temari several times over the course of their relationship and she had been the first girl he had ever been with. Though he was inexperienced, his desire to please her coupled with his skills as an elite strategist ensured that he quickly learned what she liked and didn't like, what made her moan and tremble and in all actuality, Shikamaru had considered himself to be rather _good_ in bed considering Temari had once asked him to stop pleasuring her before she passed out from the sensory overload. Ino had no idea what she was getting herself into, because the way she was standing in front of him in that scrap of a towel, throwing insults at him that questioned his capabilities of pleasing a woman, made him think that perhaps she was just begging him to prove her wrong.

The blonde watched him for a moment more, noting that his mouth opened once as if to say something but then closed again. He apparently was at a loss for words and that meant that Ino was the victor of this round. Unable to hide the smile on her lips, she turned around and began to saunter away, mentally tallying one under her name while Shikamaru had zero.

Seeing that satisfied little smile on her face before she turned away was the last straw. He was usually more calm and composed than almost any other shinobi his age but he had finally been pushed to his breaking point by the aqua eyed woman.

He had already formed the hand signs for his jutsu before he even realized what he was doing and his shadow immediately elongated towards the blonde, reaching her feet and fusing with her own shadow, stopping her dead in her tracks.

It didn't take the blonde long to realize what had happened, especially when she glanced down upon being paralyzed to discover a second shadow had melded with her own. The bastard had used kage mane no jutsu on her and was now in control of her body! They had been in their fair share of fights but never had it escalated to such heights for them to use jutsu on each other outside of sparing. Had she really pushed him so far? She tried to look over her shoulder and see what she could assess from his expression but she no longer had the ability to move her own muscles. She was nothing but his puppet now.

"Shikamaru," she said, her voice quieter than the piercing shriek he had expected from her. "What the hell are you doing?"

In all honesty, the dark haired man really didn't know exactly what he was doing. He had trapped her in his jutsu on impulse, something he hardly ever did as a composed strategist, but he simply couldn't stand to see her amble away after what she had said, especially with nothing but a towel wrapped around her slim body.

Using his control over her, he forcer her to turn around, her feet moving without her consent until she was facing him and she could immediately tell that her comments had upset him more than she had intended. Sure she had wanted to hurt him a little, to cut him deep, but it was only to prove that she had more wit than he did. It was sadly obvious that she was the inferior shinobi in Team Ten, always a step behind, always being the one to stand around in battle with no way to help. She wanted to be useful, to be _needed_, but somehow she always fell short of her expectations for herself. She wanted to best the genius at _something_, even if it was winning petty arguments, yet in the end, it looked like her plan had backfired, for she had pushed him past the point of hurling insults and sharp words. Something in the deep blackness of his eyes told her he wasn't in the mood to play any longer, and considering he now had control of her body, this could turn into a bad situation for her very quickly.

"Shikamaru," she repeated again when he didn't respond, her voice taking on an edge that could have been either panic or anger.

The ponytailed prodigy was still gripped by an overwhelming need to shut her up and prove to her that her unfounded accusations were dead wrong. If he had been thinking clearly at all, he would have realized what he was about to do was in violation of nearly every rule he had learned in the Academy. He was going to use his abilities against a team mate in a situation where it wasn't necessary. He wasn't staying focused on the mission he had been assigned to. But at the moment, Shikamaru couldn't find it in him to care and kept his hands frozen in the final sign for his jutsu as he commanded Ino's grip on her towel to loosen.

Turquoise eyes grew wide as she felt the damp cloth slip from her fingers, and she was powerless to tighten her hold as the towel fell from her body to the floor, leaving her completely naked and quite exposed to a man she had never dreamed would see her like this. His eyes roamed over her figure without shame, clearly drinking in her feminine curves and smooth skin, and although it was apparent by the hungry look in his eye he liked what he saw, she was in no way pleased that she now had his undivided attention.

"You pervert! Let me go!" she cried with all the rage Shikamaru had been expecting, now that her body was on display. She was plenty angry, that was for sure but there was also fear in her voice, a rising alarm at the fact that his character had changed right before her eyes. He was the lazy, cloud-watching man who hardly ever stood up for himself, but now he was clearly taking action through the most drastic of measures and she was literally powerless to stop him. The fact that she was afraid, even if only a little, should have snapped him back to his senses, but for whatever reason it didn't. Perhaps he had been waiting a long time for this, or perhaps all her annoying little quips had finally stacked up. Either way, Shikamaru's hold on her remained unwavering as he took in the sight of the soft, fleshy curves of her breasts and the trim patch of blonde hair between her thighs.

"Ino," he said quietly, his voice low and steely. "I am sick and tired of you playing with me, of running around half naked and then getting mad when I look, of you accusing me of things you know damn well aren't true."

The blonde swallowed hard as his coal black eyes bored into hers. She felt the rage drain out of her at the sight of those dark orbs which held a quiet anger of their own, and something else, something more…primal. This was a side of him she had never seen. He suddenly had a backbone, and a strong one at that, and while seeing him like this was frightening, it was somehow strangely invigorating to know she had evoked such a response from him, even if it had cost her pride.

"You seem to enjoy poking fun at me when it comes to my personal affairs, calling me gay and horrible in bed, but then when you want me to lace you into an attractive dress and come flouncing out here in a towel, it makes me think you want me to prove it to you one way or another."

"B-but Shika," Ino said, her nerve wavering in the face of his quiet wrath. "I didn't mean to—"

"I'm going to prove to you," he continued, not caring for a response from the flustered kunoichi as he commanded her foot to take a step backwards as he moved forward. "That you have been wrong about everything."

She took another step back against her will as he advanced.

"A man can only take so much Ino."

A step back.

"You should have quit while you were ahead."

Another step.

"It's about time somebody taught you a lesson."

Another step back as he continued to move forward.

"And I'm going to be the one to give it."

With her last step backwards her legs bumped against the bed and though she would have been able to keep her balance on her own, his shadow bind commanded that she topple backwards and onto the bedspread, her hands catching body weight and forcing her to scoot backwards until her head fell onto the soft pillow at the end.

She felt the mattress dip beneath her as her captor sat at the foot of the bed, his eyes never once leaving her form as controlled her. He noted she was breathing more rapidly now and though it was probably out of fear and adrenaline, it still excited him as he imagined her panting for different reasons.

She was flat on her back, her legs stretched out in front of her though he had allowed her thighs to stay pressed together, hiding her most intimate of places from him, but it was still obvious he was staring at her body hungrily, his eyes settling on her heaving breasts as they rose and fell with her rapid breathing. He was finally looking at her the way she wanted him to, like she was a woman and not just a teammate who happened to be female, but now that she had his attention, she wasn't sure she wanted it. She certainly hadn't expected to end up in such a predicament and though she would have punched him through a wall if she had had control of her limbs, she noticed that deep down inside of her, his dark eyes on her pale skin were making her strangely…warm.

"Shikamaru," she whispered, her voice breathless and panicky when she saw him hover above her at the foot of the bed. "Please stop it."

Even though she had gone out of her way to say please, something she hardly ever did for him, or anyone for that matter, he still kept her bound in his jutsu as he sat on his haunches at the end of the mattress, eyes still glued to her skin that was flushing pink with embarrassment at her exposure.

"I'll stop when I'm done with you," was his only response, uttered in a low and gravely tone that made the blonde's heart palpitate a little faster. Was he going to rape her? She never would have though Shikamaru would have the guts or disposition to do something like that but the man atop her was a stranger to her and she had no idea what he was capable of.

His arms broke free from the hand seal he had been holding but she knew she wasn't off the hook when her hands immediately began to mirror his movements. She would move just as he did now whether she wanted to or not.

She watched him a little fearfully as his hands came to rest on his stomach, forcing hers to flutter over her own abdomen which tensed under the touch. He began to slowly trail his fingers in random patterns over his own belly which was covered by his green flak jacket but the movements on Ino's bare skin elected a soft gasp. Her eyes only grew wider as one of those hands skimmed up along her ribs to brush the soft outer curve of her breast make her shiver slightly at her own touch.

She noted that Shikamaru was now not only watching her body and meandering hands but her face as well, he was judging her reactions to the caresses he was carefully controlling. He was forcing her to touch herself in front of him and wanted her to enjoy it! She had seen some twisted things in her time but this was a new record. She wasn't all that surprised that he had such a perverted streak in him considering he was so repressed all the time but for him to take it out on her, especially by forcing her to exploit herself…it was just too much.

"What the hell are you doing to me? Stop it!" she cried, her voice shaking with humiliation and the fact that her own fingers were now gently cupping her right breast.

She felt like a toy, a plaything and she wanted it all to be over. She trusted this man despite all the fights she had had and she didn't want that trust to be broken, but if this continued, how would she ever be able to look at him the same way again, after violating her, even if he hadn't really laid a finger on her.

Shikamaru could hear the panic and fear in her voice and while he was glad to finally humble her a little bit, he didn't want to hurt her or traumatize her. Yet, the way he had her laid out now was too tantalizing and he wasn't about to pass this opportunity he had made for himself, not only to prove her ideas about him wrong, but to explore the fantastic body in front of which he would probably never be able to do again. However, he wouldn't sink so low as to force his own body on her, but maybe, if he translated his touches to her own hands, it would be enough to set her mind straight about which gender he preferred and just how he handled them in bed.

"Ino, stop fighting me and relax," he commanded softly, his tone different from his gruffness earlier as he paused in his ministrations to look directly into her aquamarine eyes.

The kunoichi picked up on the change immediately, his anger seemed to be gone but his voice still held confidence and the strong, dominating power that made this man unfamiliar to her.

"But we—" she began.

"Shhh. Don't make me tell you to shut up again Ino."

Usually whenever anybody talked to her like that it earned them at the very least a verbal berating in the shrill pitch of a banshee, if not a fist to the face or a knee to the groin but Ino just bit her lip, too confused by the emotions churning inside her to muster a verbal assault. What he was doing was wrong, she knew it. He was forcing himself on her even if he wasn't really touching her with his own hands, and yet, it felt incredibly good in a way that touching her own body never had. He was molesting her, but wasn't really considering he hadn't brushed even a fingertip over her bare skin.

He resumed his caresses, trying to coax her body to relax for him and moved his hand in front of his own pectoral, making mime-like stroking and squeezing motions that translated into Ino doing the same to her own breast. He watched her carefully as she gasped at the contact and from the sound of it, he decided she wasn't rejecting his advances wholeheartedly, for he could detect traces of pleasure in those startled pants.

The other hand which had been tickling over her stomach and hips began to travel upwards to settle over her neglected breast, massaging and fondling as gently as its partner. The action elicited another sharp intake of breath from the kunoichi as she watched Shikmaru's own hands make empty gestures against his chest. She hadn't expected his caresses to be so soft and gentle, especially after she had made him so mad, or maybe perhaps it was because it was her own hands touching her, she couldn't be sure. But when he forced her thumb to brush over a distended pink nipple, and then repeat the action when he saw it made her shudder in delight, she realized that he actually wanted her to get pleasure out of this experience and wasn't doing it solely for his own benefit.

Both thumbs were rubbing light circles over the tight pink buds of her nipples now, causing them to harden under her own touch. Shikamaru would have looked utterly ridiculous mirroring the movement in front of her if he hadn't been the reason for the electric sparks shooting down her spine and into the space between her legs, making her feel hot and restless in a way that she should _never_ feel around the lazy man. She knew he was perfectly aware of what he was doing to her, for he was a genius after all and one of the most observant people she knew and though she had been against the whole thing from the start, she was beginning to realize that maybe the shadow manipulator knew a thing or two about her body after all.

Shikamaru watched Ino's slender fingers mold the twin globes as he commanded, imagining just how soft that flesh would feel in his own hands. Her eyes had grown heavy lidded with desire and he could smell the subtle scent of arousal originating from her closed thighs. Once it was apparent she was done fighting him, he had eased his control up on her slightly, allowing her body to make subtle movements of its own and he noticed her thighs were rubbing together slightly, a subconscious gesture that told him he was doing something right, for she was no longer content with simply having her fingers tease over her generous bust.

Smirking mischievously, he watched as he guided her thumb and pointer finger into rolling a hardened bud between then, causing a soft mewl to fall from her lips. He watched intently and made minor adjustments in accordance to his observations, learning her likes and dislikes through her reactions to her own hands. Pressure and speed were modified for her enjoyment and soon those soft pleasured sounds were coming frequently as both hands swept over her swollen breasts, pinching and caressing and squeezing until her eyes were shut against the sensations and her musky scent had grown strong enough to fill the room.

Shikamaru had guessed the blonde was a sexually charged individual, but had always wondered secretly if that aura would dissipate one she was actually in bed with someone. However, the way she was responding to even her own fingers confirmed that she was no dead fish when it came to bedroom activities, and that only made him wish it was his own hands that were about to carry out what he had planned.

One of his own hands ceased its teasing of the soft globe and retreated back down his stomach, making her muscles twitch and jump as her own hand followed suit. When she felt her fingers graze over the fine pale hairs at the apex of her thighs, she gasped again in surprised delight. Before this mission she would have considered anyone who told her she would want Shikamaru like this to be crazy, but now even her pride wouldn't interfere with the fact that she craved more than just hands on her breasts. Her only regret was that she couldn't play coy and make him work for what he wanted while she was under his control.

The dark haired man ignored the sweat forming on his brow from holding the jutsu so long as he took in her deliciously long legs and noted with satisfaction that her thighs were quivering slightly. The prize he sought was nestle between them, and with a slight adjustment of her legs, her flower would be in his sight.

He had been kneeling up until now, sitting back on his heels, but as he rose and spread his bent legs into a wider stance, Ino's own thighs parted as well, revealing at last the fleshy pink folds that cradled her feminine jewel.

He was staring like a man entranced, but didn't care, for the sight of her slick, delicate petals dripping with her own honey made his mouth practically water for her. He wanted to slip his own fingers into that liquid tightness and feel her body contract around him, but then that would be crossing the line into completely new territory and she would no doubt hold it against him later. Instead, his own hands continued their intricate dance over his left pectoral and now, just in front of the growing bulge in his dark shinobi regulation pants.

Ino moaned wantonly as her own fingers were finally allowed to brush the moist outer lips of her sex. She didn't even care that her enthusiastic response earned a smug chuckle from the man watching her. It was so strange to be touched like this, her own two hands becoming foreign as they moved with a will that wasn't her own. She could feel them moving, feeling the muscles in her body firing as they heeded Shikamaru's demands, but the glide of a single digit between her nether lips was a complete surprise, forcing a throaty moan from her.

She lifted her eyes to meet her team member's smoldering gaze, her own aqua eyes as lusty as his. He was staring at her hungrily as if he meant to devour her and while she had never found Shikamaru particularly attractive before, the fact that he was holding her captive and forcing her to give herself immense pleasure while he watched was a whole new kind of eroticism Ino had never even dreamed of.

"You're a bigger pervert than I thought," she panted, her voice made low and husky by her raging desire. "You're totally getting off on this."

Shikamaru smirked down at her smugly. Even now she was trying to talk big but it was so obvious that she was a slave to her own desire now. She wanted him to keep touching her and she would enjoy every second of what he had planned and he felt his ego swell a little at the thought he had reduced such an obnoxious and headstrong woman to a moaning, writhing mass.

"It's hard not to appreciate a woman who's practically begging to be touched," Shikamaru chuckled, running his finger back up the invisible cleft of her womanhood while her own finger made contact with tangible flesh. Her back immediately bowed and her mouth opened in a silent cry. "I guess that kills your theory that Temari dumped me because I'm bad in bed because from what I can see, you're enjoying this more than I am."

Ino shivered as the tip of her finger was commanded to sink into her body but only up to the first knuckle before withdrawing and leaving her thoroughly frustrated. The arrogant jerk was right of course and the thought combined with his unmistakably smug expression made her want to punch him right where a visible tent was forming in his pants. However, she had a feeling she would be even more upset if he stopped what he was currently doing so she did something completely uncharacteristic and let the comment slide, opting instead to moan long and low when her own finger slipped inside her, this time all the way to the hilt.

Shikamaru could only imagine the way those tight muscles inside her were gripping her finger tight, and his tongue unconsciously traced his bottom lip at the thought of sinking into her and feeling the glorious heat of her body for himself.

He began to pump the single digit within her while guiding his other hand from his chest down to his belly, watching raptly as she mirrored him and soon he had the finger of her second hand poised over the throbbing button directly above her opening.

She watched him through hooded eyes as his fingers moved in strange and abstract patterns and suddenly, her body was on fire as her own digit began to rub over her swollen clit. In combination with the thrusting finger already wedged deep inside of her, Ino knew at wouldn't be long before she was at her peak. The lonely nights in the past when she had resorted to touching herself had never been this full of heat and her body hadn't reacted this intensely, nor had she come to the edge so quickly. However, after several minutes of teetering on the edge, she wondered if Shikamaru was going to send her headlong into bliss or if he was planning on bringing her to the brink only to let her down.

"Shika," she moaned, arching her back and rocking her hips into her hand as much as his restrictions on her body would allow. "Give me more. I'm so close."

His lip curled into a sneer at the raw need in her voice. He guessed that she was so far gone that he could even get her to beg if he tried a little, but he had already proven his point and there was no need to spend all the effort in breaking her down further.

With minimal manipulation, he made her slip a second finger inside herself, stretching her tight passage a little further and watching with interest as she bit her lip to stifle a guttural moan. He increased the speed of his fingers pistoning into the phantom body before him while Ino began to shudder in the face of her impending orgasm.

"Oh god, Shikamaru," she moaned incoherently, her long blonde hair splayed all over the sheets like strands of gold. "I'm gonna…gonna…"

"Do it," he rasped, his own voice as strained as the arousal pressing uncomfortably in his pants. He was incredibly tempted to pounce on her, to slam into her right as she reached her peak and feel her contract around him as she was washed away in pleasure but he knew he shouldn't. He could only look, but not touch.

Her own hands, their touch as foreign as a stranger's, worked her body into a frenzy. She couldn't seem to catch her breath and she could feel her vaginal muscles clenching and unclenching around her probing fingers with increasing intensity as she reached the pinnacle. The whole time she was oddly aware of his eyes on her, of how he was drinking in the sight of her naked body in such a vulnerable state and the knowledge only made her hotter. She was so used to dominating men in bed that being totally submissive left her a little lost…and extremely turned on.

Ino wasn't exactly sure what did her in. Maybe it was the soft groan Shikamaru gave when his hands accidentally brushed over his throbbing erection while orchestrating her own hands, or maybe it was the particularly hard thrust of her fingers into her core or the fire in Shikamaru's obsidian eyes. Whatever the reason, she finally spiraled head long into bliss, welcoming the sensations and letting go completely even with an audience. The very moment she reached her peak with a heady cry, the shinobi dispelled the jutsu, it's usefulness a thing of the past as he watched her writhe in ultimate pleasure, both of her hands still working her body furiously by her own will.

Everything about her in that moment was the essence of feminine sexuality and his hunger for her was nearly unbearable. Everything from her rounded breasts and tightened pink nipples to the thrashing of her head to her parted thighs and glistening pink folds made him want to explore her body more than ever with his own hands and mouth and cock and as she began to drift down from the heights of pleasure, he began to wonder why that was supposedly such a bad idea.

Ino was breathless and exhausted, a thin sheen of sweat glittering on her recently shower-clean skin but the smile on her face gave away the fact that she was completely content. A warm, tingling feeling filled her as her limbs grew heavy and her muscles slackened, all tension drained away and she lay panting in the after glow.

With the last of her strength, she opened her eyes and pulled her hands away from her body, noting that her fingers were slick with her own juices. Shikamaru was still sitting there watching her, eyeing her form as if she were a juicy piece of meat and he was a ravenous wolf. And yet, even though he was aroused to no end, he still had the nerve to look smug, smirking at her with an expression that clearly said 'I told you so'.

"Still think Temari broke it off because I couldn't satisfy her?" he asked as he crawled towards her to straddle her quivering body, not even asking if this new, intimate contact was allowed.

Ino's heart rate had only begun to slow down when it started speeding up again at the heat of his erection pressed against her bare stomach as he leaned forward to cage her in with a hand on either side of her head.

"Maybe Temari didn't like being made to play with herself for your amusement," she said quietly, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible which was proving to be a rather difficult task.

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose slightly in a gesture that questioned whether it was really wise to egg him on when he was already on the verge of tearing off his own clothes.

"Are you suggesting that I give you a demonstrating of what I'm capable of when I use my _own_ hands?" he growled, lowering his head to the crook of her neck to inhale the sweet smell of her shampoo tinged with the salty sweat on her skin.

"N-no," she breathed raggedly, cursing herself internally for sounding needy even immediately after an earthshaking orgasm. "You've done enough for one day."

Shikamaru smirked against the skin of her neck at the obvious lie and shifted his hips so his cloth covered erection pressed against the sensitive flesh of her sex, silently gloating when she let out a heated gasp.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, lifted his head to watch her face contort in pleasure as he rocked his pelvis forward to grind his cock against her dripping folds.

Ino whimpered like a thing wounded, the familiar heat coursing through her veins once more. It was obvious what her body wanted and her mind was on the verge of agreeing, but this man was still unknown to her. Shikamaru had never been sexy or controlling or domineering and his actions were throwing her off. She didn't know how she should respond to his aggressive advances considering he had called her ugly and annoying almost ever other day of her life.

He was lowering his face now, his lips a hairs breadth away and she could feel his sculpted shinobi body mold to hers though the clothes he wore. She imagined it would feel a great deal better if he were as naked as she.

"Well Ino?" he pressed when she didn't respond, his lips ghosting over hers as he prepared to kiss the woman who had seemed to perfect driving him to distraction.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock at the door and both of their heads snapped towards the sound.

"What the hell?" Shikamaru growled irritably as he felt Ino's supple body tense beneath him.

"Hello?" a feminine voice called from the other side of the door. "Anybody in there?"

Shikamaru instantly recognized the voice, knowing it belonged to the elderly inn keeper who had showed them to their room earlier.

He glanced back at his teammate beneath him to see her aquamarine eyes had lost their haze of lust and were now lucid and clear.

"You should answer that," she whispered and Shikamaru grudgingly cursed under his breath as he rolled off of her and walked a little stiffly to the door.

He opened it just enough to stick his head out, not wanting their unexpected visitor to see the bulge in his pants or the naked woman on the bed behind him.

"Yes?" he said gruffly, his voice coming out a little more impatient than he had meant it too.

The silver haired woman seemed to shrink back a little, her warm smile diminishing slightly with uncertainty.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to interrupt but I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be served downstairs shortly."

Shikamaru's features softened and he tried to remember his manners instead of taking out his sexual frustrations on the kindly old lady.

"Thank you ma'am," he said, dipping his head slightly in a gesture that could be taken as a miniscule bow. "We'll be down in a little bit."

He closed the door as the woman walked away and turned around to lean heavily against it. He was not surprised to find that Ino was gone from the bed, the pack holding her clothes gone with her as well and a moment later, the sound of the shower running could be heard from the bathroom once more. That fact alone made it obvious that Ino wanted none of what he had offered her, retreating to the sanctuary of the shower once more to regroup.

He brought his hands to his face and ground the heels of his hands against his eyes wearily, wondering if the sudden interruption had been a blessing or a curse, stopping him from having what probably would have been amazing sex, or destroying a bond between them they had been building for a life time.

He walked over to the bed and plopped down on the mattress, breathing in the subtle scent of feminine arousal that still lingered before stretching out and feeling her body heat trapped in the sheets against his own skin.

He had no idea what the hell had come over him and berated himself for letting her get under his skin even after all these years. Whatever the hell had occurred between them, he had no intention of letting it happen again no matter how tempting she was, and the fact that he found her tempting at all proved how much his view of her had already changed.

He sighed as he slung a forearm over his eyes. One thing was for sure, seeing her in that goddamn dress tomorrow was going to ensure that the party they were to attend would mark one of the most miserable nights of his life. He would never have believed it before but now he was certain of one thing. Sexy dresses were dangerous things indeed.

Hey, look at that! A one shot that remained as a oneshot! Giftwrapped and Evanescent Perfection grew a little bigger than intended but this one was kept under control.

I really appreciate reviews. They let me know people actually take time to read what I take time to write, even if it's a line or two.

No plot bunnies have gripped me yet so I dunno whn the next fic will be done, but now that it's winter break I'll have a feeling I'll be able to come up with some kind of story. Until next time!

J-Pop


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